"Exactly five-hundred years ago, during the winter holidays of 1522, Andrea Alciato wrote a little book of poems that he called Emblemata. This collection of epigrams contained many translations from the Greek Anthology, and was heavily inspired by the 'arguments' of Horapollon's Hieroglyphica and the hieroglyphs of Chaeremon—supposedly used in the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. Alciato also looked for inspiration from coins, printer's marks and other sources to create his 'mosaics'—built with many hands. The book would be published later, in 1531 (without the author’s knowledge), when it receive the images that ultimately formed the emblem genre.

To celebrate this date, and on the occasion of its XII International Conference in 2022, The Society for Emblem Studies invited its members and friends to create new emblems, or share new lights on old ones. The Sociedad Española de Emblemática also embraced this campaign and sent invitation to its members. As a result, we received over fifty compositions, addressing many ancient and contemporary matters—from love to struggle, from politics to the pandemic, but also perseverance, beauty and friendship. The mediums of the picturae varied from oil paintings, watercolors, guaches, photographs, posters, woodcuts and digital art; and the subscriptiones were equally rich in their diversity: English, Spanish, Latin, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Russian.

Accompanying these emblems, we decided to publish here an Anthologia of thirteen short essays from our Emblem of the Month section, including two hitherto unpublished pieces. The series began seven years ago, and what was conceived as an unpretentious blog, was immediately met with great pieces of scholarship. Given the ephemeral nature of websites, the book is still the safest format for preservation, and these flowers certainly deserved 'to be read by the globe'."

CONTENTS

Foreword, Pedro Germano Leal 9

Muta Poesis, Pictura Loquens 15

Mind, Not Outward Form, Prevails, Jaff Seijas 19

She Hid Her Secrets Behind A Veil, Jaff Seijas 21

Freedom, Jaff Seijas 23

Profundius Fodiat, Julia Krasnobaeva 26

Profundius Fodiat, Julia Krasnobaeva 28

Post Festum Venisti, William Engel 30

Tempus Densat, Charles W Henebry 35

Nihilum Ex Nihilo, Charles W Henebry 37

Et In Volvendo Quiesco, Rubem Amaral Jr. 40

Amytié Entre Les Freres, Stephen Rawles 45

Latebra Tuta Depravatio Animi, Juliette Roding 46

Ardente Patience, Claudia Mesa Higuera 48

Ardente Patience, Claudia Mesa Higuera 50

In Dies Meliora, Juan M. Monterroso Montero 52

Lux Lumine, Francisco José García Pérez 54

Dispar Exitus, Patricia Andrés González 56

La Pereza Hay Que Dejarla A Un Lado, Sonia Rios-Moyano 59

Donde Los Dioses Llaman Hay Que Ir, Sonia Rios-Moyano 61

El Terror Repentino, Sonia Rios-Moyano 63

Exemplum Perseverantiae, Melior Quam Fama, 

     Dietrich Bieber 64

Foedera, Ingrid Höpel 67

Vita Elegans, Radhis Curí 70

At Corrumpit Oveis Pastor Malus, Hans Brandhorst 73

Annuit Coeptis, Pedro Germano Leal 75

Per Noctem Poteamus Et Per Diem Dormimus Siestam,

     José Julio García Arranz 76

Andrea Alciato Versus Stantey Kubrick, 

     José Julio García Arranz 81

La “Sirena” Emblemática De Villanueva De La Serena, 

     José Julio García Arranz 82

Tutus Per Summa, Per Ima, Walther Ludwig 85

Paupertate Premor, Sublevor Ingenio, Pedro Germano Leal 88

Si Cecideris Ibis Patria, Pedro Germano Leal 89

Michaelis Aquæ, Michael Bath 91

Spectantes Publicantur, David Graham 93

Dvm Alte Emirantvr, Admiranvr Alte, Cirilo García Román 93

Qvi Infra Contemplantvr, Emblemata Non Videt,

     Pedro Germano Leal 93

Spes Altera Vitae, Stephen Rawles 95

Un Juicio Pervertido / Perversa Ivdicia, Cirilo García Román 98

Utinam Dirigantur Viae Meae Ad Custodiendas 

     Justificationes Tuas! / Desire, Carol Barbour 100

Nunquam Desirit, Rota Movendo, Simon McKeown 104

Should We Even Try To Define The Emblem? 

     David Graham & Liz Black 106

Chello Che Vo’ La Femmena Fa!, Pauliane Amaral 109

Le Serpent, Camilo Martins & Guillaume Apollinaire 110

L’orphée, Camilo Martins & Guillaume Apollinaire 113

Le Poulpe, Camilo Martins & Guillaume Apollinaire 114

Id Ego Superego, Antonio Gil Leal 117

Genus Pugnaque, Antonio Gil Leal and Pedro Germano Leal 118

Necropolitica, Antonio Gil Leal and Pedro Germano Leal 123

The Path To A Golden Age: Or Why Place Plato 

     And Noah On The Joist?, Maren C. Biederbick 127

Otto Vaenius’s Emblem ‘Via Nulla Est Invia Amore’,

     Rubem Amaral Jr. 135

Lodovico Castelvetro’s Device: Kekpika, “I Have Judged”,

     Rubem Amaral Jr. 143

Oliver Cromwell Between Two Pillars, Valérie Hayaert 151

Elogia Mariana By A. C. Redelius: What Is The Story 

     Behind This Book?, Carme López Calderón 161

Andrea Alciato, ‘Paupertatem Summis Ingeniis Obesse 

Ne Provehantur’ (1531) / Richard Shirley Smith, 

     ‘Classical Profile’ (2011), Simon McKeown 181

Alciato’s Emblem “In Eum Qui Truculentia 

     Suorum Perierit”, Rubem Amaral Jr. 191

Haunting Emblems: Tomasz Treter In Aleksandra 

     Waliszewska’s Interpretation, Alicja Bielak 195

Memorialising Mary: The Monument To Mary 

     Queen Of Scots, Michael Bath 209

Benedictine Stabilitas In The Design Of The Abbey Of 

     Benedictine Nuns In Staniątki, Magdalena Ficoń 229

Cramer’s Emblemata Sacra In Ørum, Denkmark,

     Ulrich Schoentube 237

The Rebel Bear: Frontline (2020), Laurence Grove 245

Emblems And Intermediality, Pedro Germano Leal 257

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